In-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems are often provided on vehicles, such as cars, to provide the users and occupants of the vehicle with entertainment and information. For example, the entertainment may include watching videos, listening to music, playing video games, playing interactive games, or the like. The information may include navigation, traffic, road information, weather, or the like.
The IVI system may include one or more computers or processors coupled to a variety of user interfaces. The IVI system may be part of the vehicle's main computer or a stand-alone system that may optionally be coupled to the vehicle's main computer. The user interfaces may be any one of speakers, displays, keyboards, dials, sliders, or any suitable input and output element. The system, therefore, may use any variety of user interfaces to interact with a user of the system, such as a driver of the vehicle. Furthermore, the IVI system may use any variety of user interfaces to provide media or information to the user. For example, the IVI system may receive navigation information, such as global positioning satellite (GPS) information from a GPS system, and display the same on a center console of the vehicle. Such information, may be used by the driver of the vehicle for navigation purposes. As another example, the IVI system may receive media signals from a digital video disc (DVD) player and provide the same to a display for viewing the media content. In this case, the DVD player may be at the front of a vehicle where a parent can load the media and the media content may be viewed by a child seated at the rear of the vehicle.
In conventional IVI systems and associated user output elements, the user output elements are typically coupled to the vehicle. In other words, a display may be physically coupled to the vehicle and may not be used outside of the vehicle. Alternatively, the user may carry an electronic device capable of providing information or media thereon into the vehicle and use it within the vehicle. For example, a user may carry a tablet computer into a vehicle and use the same for reading a book thereon. This electronic device, however, is not coupled to the IVI system and is not secured to the IVI system. Therefore, the electronic device may not have access to substantially all aspects of the vehicle's IVI system or main computer. Furthermore, the electronic device, if left within the vehicle, may be a target of theft as the electronic device could be used for a variety of applications including applications involving viewing media and information on other vehicles.